"Around the World in Wine Series" with Andy Hale, Director of The Asheville School of Wine!

Learn about the famous wine regions of the world as you taste wine in this fun series!

Class 1: Vin Francaise

Learn about the wines and regions of France.

October 1st @ 5:30, $25+ tax

Buy Tickets Here!

Class 2: Vino Italiano

Learn about the famous wine regions of Italy.

October 8th @ 5:30, $25+tax

Buy Tickets Here!

Class 3: The Iberian Peninsula

Learn about the wine regions of Spain and Portugal.

October 15th @ 5:30, $25+tax

Buy Tickets Here!

Class 4: The New World

Learn about the regions of the USA, Chile, Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

October 22nd @5:30, $25+tax

Buy Tickets Here!

 Or buy all 4 classes for $85+tax!

Buy The Series Here!

(historic Sky Club)

Where is the Love? That is what we were asking at the last Focus Group ("Group"). We presented four wines that we thought were great for the price, that have either fallen out of favor or just never got there. As always, Group was spot on and provided invaluable information.

Group was concerend about blends that do not indicate what the heck is in the bottle on the label. And while a wine story is good, it is not a great sales tool. For example, a bottle that was made from a special clone might be of interest to wine geeks but not so much to most customers. Group did think an eye catching label was imoortant in a sea of wine. But of most importance is education. More classes on wines such as txakolina are necessary to insure customers know what is being offered. And more informational cards on the shelf so custoemrs can roam around by themselves and get the drift.

So, of the four wines reviewed by Group, only one survived! While two of the others were acceptable for now, don't reorder! And one was a flat out why bother. Here's the winner:

Winemaker's Notes: This Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon has all the hallmarks of a great, true-to-style Cabernet. Its structure is approachable, the fruit is juicy red with a hint of savory which is appropriate for this varietal. Oak is well integrated and lends spiciness on the palate. This wine is very fitting for a weekday wine and/or for more formal occasions.

Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 4% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petite Verdot

From the MetroWines FYI Department

"Natural Wines"

NYT reports that "natural" is THE word in the wine world
meaning wines that are produced with minimal intervention like chemical additives or commercial yeast. Check out our shelf of "Natural Wines" @MetroWines from around the world including this one:


Unfined. Unfiltered. Biodynamic. From Foradori, Tuscany, $26 Different Mediterranean grape varieties are fermented together and blended to produce this wine. The grapes are sourced in the older vineyards of the Mediterranean varieties, in Ampeleia di Mezzo, where the Mediterranean
scrub dominates the landscape permeating the air with its fragrances.  Kepos means garden in Greek.

"A Walk Through the Andes"
*** MENU POSTED ***



Wednesday, September 25th
@Bone and Broth on Charlotte Street with Chef Chris Benson, Tryon Distribution and MetroWines

Rose when you arrive followed by 4 courses paired with wines from Chile and Argentina. Then dessert! $80 with tax and gratuity!
(About 10 seat left. Reserve NOW!)

Reserve by calling (828) 575-9525 or online here: 
https://metrowinesasheville.com/store/product/wine-dinner-at-bone-and-broth/

****** FLASHBACK ******
Remember our DAOU Dinner at Bone and Broth?
Wine Enthusiast just chose DAOU 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon as "Editor's Choice" and awarded a whooping 93 Points! And 92 Points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

The point is: Expect Quality
at a Bone and Broth Collaboration!



The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has heady aromatics that affirm this is a serious wine for serious wine lovers. This wine displays black cherry, currant, plum and blackberry up front, complemented by dark chocolate,
tobacco leaf and cool menthol. Rounding out the nose are aromas of black olives, briarwood, fig, and dried thyme. Bold and assertive on the palate with flavors initially dominated by dark fruits, Bing cherries, black raspberry, plum, and pomegranate, accompanied by high note accents of cranberries and rhubarb. Midpalate delivers espresso and dried herbs with hints of fennel and cigar box all seamlessly integrated together on a structure of very fine grain, plush and ripe tannins. A wine of complexity and depth with a purity of fruit and subtle layers of flavors and texture that harmonize and enhance. This wine constitutes a journey of the senses that begins with power and finishes with elegance and style.

DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is $25.99 at wine.com

$21 @MetroWines

POMPEII in California
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Pacific Palisades


https://www.wsj.com/articles/buried-by-vesuvius-treasures-
from-the-villa-dei-papiri-review-a-homecoming-of-sorts-11566941174

Pompeii is Compagna and Compagna is Fiano! 2017 Fiano from Montesole
Delicate aromas of apple and hazelnut carry over to the light-bodied palate along with suggestions of pear and citrus.


$18.50 at Dreadnought online and out of stock.
$16.99 @MetroWines and on shelf!

Blind Tasting League Returns
with Andy Hale, Director of The Asheville School of Wine
September 19th from 5:30 to 6:30, $20

Movie' on UP. Higher quality wines and more in depth analysis!
And expect the occasional visit from an importer or winemaker.

REGISTER Here: 
https://metrowinesasheville.com/store/product/blind-tasting-league-sept-19th/

Corte Gardoni Bardolino

Chiaretto Rose 2018



Chiaretto is the local word for rosé on the eastern shores of Lake Gard, a land where the sun shines, the wine flows, and the prosciutto-slicer slices year-round. At Corte Gardoni, the Piccoli family specializes in making light, refreshing wines that don’t cost much. Their Chiaretto—made from grape varieties you’ll find only in the Veneto—is incredibly bright in flavor, with citrus and nectarine leading the way to the crispest of finishes. This wine exudes pure joy.

Documents show the Piccoli family has owned vineyards in Veneto since 1600. Many generations tended vines, but after phylloxera, the ravaged estate couldn’t support all 5 brothers. One left to become a fruit grower. Having grown up in vineyards, Gianni Piccoli had wine in his blood. He bought a vineyard estate in 1971. For several years Corte Gardoni grapes were sold to cooperatives, but Gianni felt their wines lacked soul and in 1980 he broke those ties and crafted his own wine.

Today Gianni is a well-known and highly respected figure in the region and a leader in the fight against homogenization of local wine. While local cooperatives push for laws that would force producers to plant only French grapes like Chardonnay and Merlot, Corte Gardoni is reserved for local varietals including 
Garganega, Corvina, Rondinella, and others. $16.99

John Kerr of The Asheville School of Wine
for Capital at Play
"Revamped Restaurants That Deserve a Second Look"
https://www.capitalatplay.com/retooled-
revamped-restaurants-worth-a-second-look/

Ciao Asheville Presents a Discussion of "Bicycle Thieves" lead by our Film Coordinator Robert Formento.

Sunday, September 29th from 1 to 4pm @MetroWines

Event and Popcorn on the house. $7 for a glass of italian Red or White Wine! Summary from Robert:

Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Biciclette)

Our next film discussion, Bicycle Thieves (released in 1948), tells the story of Antonio Ricci, a long unemployed man in postwar Italy who finally finds employment putting up cinema posters around Rome. But, the job requires him to have a bicycle. His wife Maria pawns all her dowry bed linens to redeem their already pawned bicycle. Antonio’s elation quickly turns to despair when it is stolen on his first day of work. Antonio and his son Bruno desperately search the city to find the bicycle which is so important to their family’s day to day survival. Although the story could not be more simple, it draws you emotionally into the conditions of the poor and lower working class and their daily despair and in this case, the relationship of the father and son as they search for the bicycle, the family’s lifeline.

Bicycle Thieves is one of the best examples of a filmmaking movement called Italian Neorealism. The genre only lasted from 1943 to about 1951, but had a major impact on film makers throughout the world. In fact, Roger Ebert quotes Martin Scorsese as saying that the films of this era were some of the greatest influences on his work.

These Italian neorealistic films were a dramatic change from the “happy”, romantic, Hollywood type films of Mussolini’s rein which were highly censored and did not at all represent the true conditions in Italy at the time. The neorealistic films were shot in the run down parts of the city or countryside, employed mostly amateurs and dramatically showed the conditions of the poor and lower working class. This new film genre would show the “new reality” of Italian life.

Among its many awards, in 1949, Bicycle Thieves was voted by the Academy Board of Governors as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States.

Run time 90 minutes.

REGISTER HERE!

From The MetroWines FYI Department
Wine Enthusiast has issued their "40 Under 40" Edition
The cover went to Amada Wittstrom-Higgins, VP of Operations, Ancient Peaks Winery, Santa Margarita, CA


As a second generation owner, Wittstrom-Higgins oversees everything from brand development and distribution to events and special projects. The 900 acres in Paso Robles begets high end wines for affordable prices. She is also the founder of "Dream Big Darling" (https://dreambigdarling.org),  a nonprofit devoted to elevating and promoting women in the wine industry.
If you shop @MetroWines, you know Ancient Peaks! $19.99

Jeb Dunnuck, 90 Points
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is a terrific value and is 83%Cabernet Sauvignon, 14%Petit Verdot, and Petite Sirah. It has a Bordeaux-ish bouquet of new saddle leather, cedarwood, tobacco leaf, and smoky black fruits as well as medium body, plenty of fruit, sweet tannins, and a good finish. 4-6 years.


Wine Enthusiast, 90 Points
Floral aromas of violet and cherry blossom drop into rich black-cherry and cocoa tones on the nose of this widely available bottling. The palate is juicy in black cherry and blackberry flavors,with accents of oak and cracked pepper, all framed by a chalky texture.

Languedoc Coastline, Noilly Prat and Picpoul!

Since 1855, Noilly Prat Vermouth has been made in the caves of Marseillan. Made from white grapes and a secret mixture of herbs and spices, this dry, full bodied, amber wine is put through a two step aging process. 
Inside information: 40% of the Noilly Prat blend is Picpoul!!

Blend of dry white wines macerated with botanicals including Roman Chamomile and gentian from France, bitter orange peels from Tunisia  and nutmeg from Indonesia.

95 Points Wine Enthusiast - Wonderfully alive in the nose, as subtle, woodsy scents of juniper, thyme and laurel make an impression. It's clean, dry and refreshing at palate entry; midpalate shows traces of citrus, pine and berries. Aftertaste is harmonious and medium-long.
The finest dry vermouth money can buy.

*** $12.99 ***

Big RED of The Week

"The Palindrome"
RockWall 2015 Tannat

Winemaker Shauna Rosenblum says: Aromas of black pepper, violet, black tea, pipe tobacco, graham cracker cacao, raspberry and herbs jump to the top of the glass followed by sultry flavors of black cherry, plum, rose petal, anise, cardamom with a balanced and smoky finish.
 And…Tannat is spelled the same forward and backward which is why I call this stunner, “The Palindrome.”

$35 at the winery.
Vivino gives top rating but, oh no, can't get their internet hands on it! $20.99 at wine.com and pretty hard to find anywhere else.

$19.99 @MetroWines and in stock!

News Release: Monday, September 9, 2019

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mustaches-not-
just-for-movember-anymore-11566488740
Wall Street Journal talks "stache " Research shows that interest
in the stache took a header sometime after Magnum PI
but it looks like the look is muscling back into fashion. 

Martin Luther King's mustache was born at Nelson Malden's Barbershop.
Malden says King wanted his mustache to sit up off his lip "like a butterfly."
This calls for a purpose driven wine. Paging Tintero Langhe Nebbiolo. No oak
so fruit shines. Perfect for fall, bolder foods without overpowering the dish. Purpose. Imported by Kermit Lynch (another very precise guy) $13.99.

Tom Selleck as the short-short clad Magnum PI sports what has been described as "macho" and the "manliest and most popular" of stache looks. According to experts, this baby takes dense hair. Selleck style is straight across with an ever so slight Hercule Poirot uptick at either end. Wine? Serious but up for the occasional offbeat.
Read: a very masculine wine, heavy but with a playful twist.
Gran Appasso 100% Negroamaro from Puglia done in a rich but saucy style.
Sturdy bottle: $14.99. Short-shorts your call!

Nick Offerman grew his now trademarked look for his character, Ron Swanson,
on the TV sitcom Parks and Recreation. Offerman describes Ron as a man
who lived by a simple set of rules and few words and calls his mustache "sincere."
This stache is screaming "I am the walrus!" Blunt force. Only one way to go.
BIG! Zinfandel!! Ancient Peaks 2016 Zinfandel, $16.99 (see winery story below)

Seen in the photo, Benedict Cumberbatch shows the mustache he grew for his
new movie about a 1960s secret agent. His look is like all spies, understated yet structured and well manicured. But for me, the space in the center sets this one a bit apart. Intention. Precision. Perhaps a little rigidity. Chablis is the pairing. Very precise and, more importantly, clear. Can't hide anything in it!
2017 Vincent Mothe Chablis, $27.00

More about spies: https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-the-international-spy-museum-espionage-decoded-11567630134

Vogue says Luka Sabbat's mustache is just "naturally cool" and "adds spice to his signature smirk." Let's think in terms of an established and popular grape with a little swagger like Malbec laced with a spicy upstart like Carmenere. Our big red from last week would be perfect here: Elqui Carmenere, Syrah, Malbec Blend. $16.99

Mark Wystrach of the band Midland is of the opinion that every man
who chooses the stache life has a picture that inspires him. For Mark,
it was his father and, well, of course, Magnum PI. Solid American.
Sean Minor 2016 (high end) Cabernet Sauvignon $24.00

Tickets HERE!

News Release: Friday, September 6th, 2019

This is, as they say, a nuanced topic and totally subjective.
Lettie Teague Of Wall Street Journal opines:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/are-
you-sure-that-wine-you-ordered-is-actually-dry-11566492508

As Lettie points out, often fruit content can mistakenly convey to you that the wine is sweet. What? Only one way to find out. Taste test! Here's a red and white that are fruity but DRY.

Telios 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi


A powerhouse collaboration between proprietor Gus Kalaris and winemaker Bob Egelhoff, Telios-Axios is a super premium Cabernet Sauvignon of Napa Valley "cult" status.  Axios, meaning worthy in Greek, reflects Gus' vision to craft a wine
of Bordeaux influence that represents the richness of its' Napa Valley origin. 
Unavailable at wine.com. Not even any "phantom inventory" 
$19.99 and "actually" on the shelf @MetroWines.

Nouvelle Chardonnay, France $13.99


Jeb Dunnuck, 92 Points
"Coming from 100% Chardonnay that was aged on Viognier lees, the 2017 Vin de France Novellum boasts sensational notes of ripe citrus, white flowers, and spice, with loads of classic Catalanes salinity and obvious minerality. Aged in 15% new barrels, it’s medium-bodied, has remarkable purity, integrated acidity, and is a total steal at the price." Good in bottle 2-4 years.